


The Last Candle

by ChickenXD



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - World War II, Angst and Fluff and Smut, M/M, Murder, Prostitution, just slightly because heichou is a prostitute, this is post world war 2 so there are many references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-12
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-02-17 01:57:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2292668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChickenXD/pseuds/ChickenXD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fic based on the book Six Graves to Munich by Mario Puzo.<br/>Erwin Smith, a man with a dark past, seeks revenge from the men who ruined his life. He met Levi, a prostitute who wanted to cooperate with Erwin, and they develop a complicated relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fic is based on the book Six Graves to Munich, please read it.

         A dark room was filled with laughter and chattering – all of the noises compiled together sounded like a loud, low hum. A makeshift stage was set up in the middle of the room; a woman wearing a short black dress was on stage, singing a song according to the background music. Men of all ages were sitting on the chairs placed in the room – chatting, laughing loudly, or flirting with the waitresses.

         A blonde man was sitting in the corner, watching all the other people in the room. His blue eyes gleamed in the dark, as if he was secretly watching, waiting.

         “Want something to drink, sir?”  
         He looked up at the waitress in front of him. Her face was heavily made up; a fake, coquettish smile was drawn on her face; her skirt was so short that if she was to bend down her buttocks might be exposed.

         “Just give me a beer.”

         “You don’t seem familiar, must be from another country,” she remarked, and the man quietly sighed about how easily people could tell that he was a foreigner. The waitress walked away and the man half-hoped that she’d trip on the way and forget about the beer, since he really said that just to drive her away.

         He turned his attention back to a fat man who was sitting by the stage with other men. Obviously, he was the loudest of the bunch, and probably the most annoying, too. Seemed like all the other men were just going along with him. The old man didn’t seem to care, though – he just kept laughing loudly, his face flushed from alcohol, his stomach stuffed with fat.

         The old man hadn’t changed at all, the young man thought.

         He put a bill on the table then stood up and left, carrying a leather bag.

         He walked out into the dark alley, lined with shop houses. Some girls were standing on the balcony, calling out to the men who were passing by. They barely wore anything, showing everything they had, and quite literally, everything. Some shop houses had its curtains drawn, with the words ‘occupied’ printed in huge, bold letters.

         The man didn’t quite care about the women calling at him – his head was starting to hurt, a sign that he needed to find lodging for the night. He didn’t like the noisy women, though – he just needed a place to sleep.

         He then noticed that one of the shop houses didn’t have anyone standing outside but didn’t have the curtains drawn either. He stopped and looked up – he could see a young man with black hair, reading a book seriously. He contrasted all the noisy women on the streets – probably the best the blonde man could get for the night.

         He walked into the shop house and was greeted by a rather old woman. The man gave her some money, which she counted. “All night, alright.” She gave a nod, and the man quickly walked upstairs.

         The black-haired man quickly closed his book when he noticed a guest had come. He stood up and walked to the blonde man, who shook his head and pushed the black-haired man away.

         “I don’t need any of that. I need to sleep.”

         The black-haired man walked to a door and opened it for his guest. The blonde man walked into the room, put his bag on the floor, threw himself on the bed, and immediately sunk into sleep.

~•~

         The blonde man woke up, and the first thing he felt was a severe headache. He reached out to the nightstand and wildly moved his hands, as if looking for something – only to remember that his medicine was still in his bag.

         His headache was getting worse and worse – so bad that he felt like his head was about to explode. He bit his lip and gathered his strength on his hands to prop himself up – his headache was so damn unbearable, the world around him started to spin –

         “You okay?”

         “I need my medicine,” the blonde man groaned. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and somehow, it felt soothing, calming. The black-haired man pushed him back to bed, and a few seconds later he could see him fish for something in the bag. The black-haired man took out a few bottles and put them on the nightstand, and the blonde man quickly grabbed one of them and tossed some pills into his mouth. The black-haired man left the room, but soon returned with a glass of water in his hand. He gave it to the blonde man, who drank all the water in one go, then sighed in relief.

         “Feeling better now?”

         “Thanks,” the blonde man said as he lay on the bed. The black-haired man sat down next to him, and started caressing his smooth, golden hair. The blonde man looked up, and for the first time he could assess the other mans face – his eyes were sharp and cold, his expression blank, yet it seemed like there was warmth in his stern face – the blonde man found it pleasant to look at. The blonde man took the other man’s hand, and looked at his thin fingers.

         “What’s your name?”

         “You can call me Levi.”

         “You’re tiny,” the blonde man said, and he could see a pout form on Levi’s face. Still, Levi remained silent as he gently ran his hands through the blonde man’s hair.

         “Ah, I forgot to introduce myself,” the blonde man suddenly remembered. “My name’s…”  
         “Erwin Smith.”

         Erwin raised an eyebrow upon hearing that.

         “I read a few papers from your bag,” Levi explained. “It’s kind of interesting that you have a few profiles in there. They’re interesting names too – Darius Zackley, Nikolaus, Rod Reiss… they’re all men with some kind of political power. A guy called Lobov or something had his name crossed out and if I remember correctly, there were news about his death a few weeks ago, killed by a gunshot or something. I guess everyone else on the list is doomed to the same fate.”

         Erwin’s hand moved to the pocket of his pants, where he could feel his pocketknife. Good, because that meant Levi didn’t steal anything from his pocket.

         “I didn’t call the police.”

         “How am I supposed to trust you?”

         “A prostitute calls the police? That’s synonymous to me turning myself in.”

         Makes sense, Erwin thought.

         Levi lay on top of Erwin’s body and landed a kiss on his lips. Erwin cupped Levi’s cheeks and noticed how small Levi is – he was like a small porcelain doll that was too fragile to be touched by Erwin’s big, rough, hands.

         “So are you going to kill them all, Erwin?”

         Erwin felt his stomach stir upon hearing the question. Levi was smiling innocently, like a child asking his father whether he could buy a cake. Levi’s calmness in the situation was somehow disturbing.

         “What does that have to do with you?”  
         “Absolutely nothing, I guess.” Levi rested his head on Erwin’s chest, and Erwin felt Levi’s warmth creep into his body – Levi’s body felt heavy, felt so heavy, but it felt so warm. Erwin had forgotten when was the last time he was so physically close with someone.

         “Can I go with you, Erwin?”

         “Why would you?” Erwin asked. “You know what I’m about to do now, I’m sure you don’t want to be called an accomplice.”  
         “I can’t just close my eyes and pretend like I don’t know anything, though.”

         Before Erwin had any chance to ask what that was supposed to mean, Levi had pulled him into a wet, lusty kiss. Erwin let him – Levi kissed wet, hungry, tugging the collar of Erwin’s shirt as if trying to get Erwin to kiss him deeper. Erwin pushed Levi away gently and say up, so that Levi was sitting on Erwin’s lap.

         “You’re beautiful,” Erwin said as he cupped Levi’s cheeks, and noticed that Levi was trembling. Levi took Erwin’s hand and started licking his fingers and sucking them slightly, sort of imitating a blowjob. Erwin pulled his fingers out, pulled Levi closer and kissed him. Levi circled his arms around Erwin’s neck as he felt Erwin’s hands pulled down his pants and grabbed his ass.

         “You’ve got a nice ass,” Erwin complimented. “Do you have a lot of customers everyday?”

         “They’re not like you,” Levi answered. “Some people say I’m too quiet, too expressionless. My boss keeps telling me to smile a bit more, but I’m not good at that.”  
         “You’re cute when you smile.”

         Levi looked away, his cheeks growing pink.

         “Anyway,” Levi continued. “Some of those assholes come here drunk off their ass, they smell like shit, sometimes I want to puke at them. They expect me to smile at them? I may be a whore, but that’s not in my job description. You’re really nice compared to them – you just come here, crash on the bed, wake up a few hours later, and all you ask for is water. One thing, though.”

         “I kill people?”

         “You haven’t fucked me yet.”

         “I’m going to, darling,” Erwin said with a laugh. “Why don’t you help me undress?”  
         “Sure.” Levi’s hands moved to the buttons of Erwin’s shirt and he started undoing them, one by one. His hands ultimately arrived at Erwin’s crotch, and Erwin smiled as he saw the amazement in Levi’s face.

         “This is one of the biggest dicks I’ve ever seen in my whole career, god.”

         “You like it?”  
         “I want it up my ass.”

         Levi got up from Erwin’s lap, positioned himself above Erwin’s dick and slowly sat down. Levi first bit his lower lip, trying not to let out any noises – he felt like Erwin’s dick was about to split open his ass. Erwin grabbed Levi’s shoulders and pushed him down, forcing Levi to sit on his dick, and Levi’s suppressed noises soon became moans that kept getting louder and louder. Erwin caught Levi in a kiss, let go, and started working his way down Levi’s neck, nipping and sucking every time.

         “Feels… so good, Erwin,” Levi muttered as he felt Erwin went deeper and deeper. He rested his head on Erwin’s shoulder as he rocked his hips to encourage Erwin to push in further.

         “You’re damn tight,” Erwin sighed. Levi’s breath was erratic, his face flushed red, his teeth planted in Erwin’s shoulder, trying to muffle his own moans.

         Levi let out a soft scream as he felt Erwin spilt his load in his ass, and Levi followed soon after. He came all over Erwin’s abdomen, some of them splashing on his own. He panted loudly while looking at all the mess they’d made, and with a sigh, he got up and lay down on the space next to Erwin. Erwin smiled as he leaned down and gave Levi a kiss on the forehead.

         “That wasn’t bad at all, Levi.”

         “Thanks.” Levi pulled closer to Erwin and closed his eyes, letting Erwin caress him gently. Levi looked like an angel when he was sleeping – he seemed to be at peace, his expression seemed to be one free of all burden.

         “I’ll let you come with me,” Erwin whispered. “But I have something to do before we can leave. I won’t take long.”

         “You’re going to kill Zackley?”

         Erwin gave a nod. Levi opened his eyes again, then got up to put his head on Erwin’s chest. Erwin smelt so good, his body was so warm, everything about him made Levi feel very, very comfortable.

         “I’ll wait for you.”


	2. Chapter 2

         Erwin woke up in the morning to find that Levi was still fast asleep. Erwin got out of bed and glanced at his watch – seven o’clock sharp – a good time to go. He took a shirt, trousers, and underwear from his bag, and headed to the bathroom.

         He must have been pretty loud in the shower, because by the time he got out, Levi was in the kitchen, waiting for a kettle of water to boil. Levi was still wearing the white shirt he wore last night, and he didn’t have any pants on. His legs looked smooth, creamy. Erwin walked over, ruffled Levi’s hair lovingly, and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

         “I’ll talk with your boss, make a few arrangements,” Erwin said. “If things go well, we can leave by two. Pack your stuff.”

         “You want something to eat? I can whip up something real quick.”

         Levi frowned. “I don’t want you to treat me like that, Erwin. I asked you to do many things without paying you either… I don’t like owing favours to people.”

         “You don’t owe me anything, darling.”

         The kettle turned off, and Levi quickly poured the water into two mugs.

         “I’ll make you tea. Don’t turn it down.”

~•~

         “Mr. Zackley, Mr. Smith has arrived.”

         Erwin walked into the room, and the fat old man was there to greet him. Erwin forced a smile as the old man shook his hand tight.

         “I’m very glad you’re here to see me,” Zackley said with a smile. “So how are you doing? It’s been a while since we last met. Please take a seat.”

         “Pretty good, I like this country so far.” Erwin then gave him a box adorned with red ribbons. “By the way, Mr. Zackley, I brought you a little gift – please feel free to look at what’s inside.”

         “Why, you shouldn’t have, thank you!”

         Just as Erwin calculated, Zackley opened the box immediately. Inside was a bottle of wine, and Erwin smiled upon seeing the old man’s eyes lit with delight.

         “This must’ve cost you quite a lot, right? Let’s drink it together.” He took two glasses and a cork, but Erwin shook his head.

         “I’d really like to, sir, but my doctor said I can’t drink any alcohol for a while.”  
         “Is that so?” Zackley seemed to be concerned, but Erwin quickly dismissed the possibility. That was… simply impossible.

         Zackley drank a glass, then sat down on his chair.

         “Did you retire from your company because of this health issue? You were a great president. I’m sure everyone was sad.”

         “I’m sure they’ll manage.” Erwin was growing agitated – he already accomplished what he wanted, and he was eager to leave. Zackley’s presence really troubled him – even the fact that they were together was enough to make him sick.

         “Seriously though, you were one of the best people I’ve ever worked with. Remember that project we worked on a few years ago?”

         Erwin was physically sitting there, but his mind wasn’t.

         _“Are you not going to tell me anything?”_

Erwin felt his body stood on edge as the voice appeared in his head.

         _“Your friend is so close to telling us.”_

It was the same voice, the same person. Yes –

         Indeed, it was the same person, in a very different room, sneering at him like a Cheshire cat. Erwin could see himself strapped on a chair, his eyes closed tightly.

         _“Or you know, we can just let you guys starve to death. I imagine it’d be a slow, painful death.”_

 _“I am not telling you anything,”_ Erwin heard his own voice say _. “And he wouldn’t tell you anything, wouldn’t even be close to telling. Or else he’d be fucking dead. Once one of us speaks up, both of us die.”_

_Zackley sighed and walked away from Erwin. He drank what seemed to be beer straight from its bottle, and walked out of the room._

_Shortly after, he could hear a scream –_

“Mr. Smith?”

         Erwin was pushed back into reality. He held his head, which was now throbbing, and sighed.

         “Are you okay?” Zackley actually sounded concerned, which only made Erwin sick. There was no way he could be concerned – Zackley was evil and would always be –

         “Sorry,” Erwin replied with a sigh. “I just remembered that I forgot to drink my medicine this morning, but it’s alright.”

         Zackley looked at him for a while, as if assessing his well being, and then turned to drink from his glass.

         “You’re not as old as I am, but I’ve got this feeling that you’re already feeling the pain people of my age have,” Zackley sighed. “When you’re old and your body starts to fall apart, you know… don’t you sometimes wish you can be young again?”

         _Well, half of my youth was ruined because of you._

         “I was in the military when I was young,” Zackley said with a sigh. “Good thing you weren’t here during the war. It was pretty scary. I was a military officer during that time, so I guess you can say I know the horrors firsthand. So many people died…”

         “Oh, I was here during that time.”

         Zackley seemed surprised. “Really? I didn’t know that. I thought you were still in your home country…”

         “Remember, Inspector Zackley? The Palace of Roses, twelve years ago…”

         Darius looked at Erwin in disbelief, as if he didn’t expect those words to come out of Erwin’s mouth, but seconds later horror dawned in his eyes.

         “You… you’re…”

~•~

         Erwin came back to the alley to find Levi sitting outside, enjoying a smoke. He was wearing a grey hoodie and blue jeans – he looked like a normal young man, and a cute one, too. There was a backpack sitting next to him, and nothing else.

         “Is that all you’re taking with you?”

         “That’s all the things I actually own, so yeah.”

         Levi took his backpack and walked to Erwin. He was apparently surprised at how small the bag is, but Levi only sighed and looked away.

         “Well, I’m doing this job for a reason.”

         “We’ve got a train to catch,” Erwin said. “It shouldn’t take too long – four hours at most. Once we get there, we need to go shopping. You good?”

         “Is he dead?”

         Erwin smiled as he circled his arm around Levi’s shoulder.

         “He will be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took forever I was swimming through school (and i will continue to)   
> another reason is that I decided to finish the handwritten draft first before typing so I finished it about last week and now I will type


	3. Chapter 3

         Levi’s eyes were as big as china when they arrived at the station.

         There was so many people, waiting for their trains or arriving from somewhere else. He looked around, curious yet anxious, all while holding Erwin’s hand so firmly like a child clinging to his father. He seemed particularly surprised when he heard the sound of the announcer over the speakers.

         Erwin walked to a desk and gave the man behind it a sheet of paper, and received two tickets in return. They then immediately ran to a train that was waiting by the platform, and got into the first class compartment.

         Levi looked around in curiosity once they arrived at their cabin. There were two sofas with a table between them, and a vase of roses and some cookies on the table.

         “Are all trains like this?”

         Erwin seemed slightly surprised upon hearing the question. “It depends. You don’t go in trains very often, do you?”

         “The last time I did was…” Levi sighed, “I don’t know, twelve years ago, at least.”

         Erwin shut the window and put down his bag. Levi looked at the cookies as he sat down, but he took none – he just felt like he shouldn’t take any unless offered by Erwin, or until Erwin ate one.

         “You wanna drink something? They have a small fridge here.” Erwin opened the said fridge, which was located by the window, and took out a bottle of apple juice. He then fished for something in his bag, took out a medicine case, and popped two white pills into his mouth.

         “You alright, Erwin?”

         Erwin drank some of his juice before answering. “Yeah. It’s just that I need to take these meds three times a day. Failure to do that will… well, you saw me last night.”

         Erwin sat down next to Levi, who immediately leaned over to rest his head on Erwin’s chest. Erwin couldn’t help but be reminded of how small Levi’s stature was – like a precious, fragile doll. Levi let out a sigh as he buried his face in Erwin’s chest.

         “I don’t know how I’m supposed to thank you, but… thanks.”

         “You’re amazing.” Erwin kissed Levi’s forehead. “I mean, anyone else could’ve taken my wallet and ran, but not you.”  
         “I’m not that wretched of a human being.”

         Erwin smiled and ruffled Levi’s hair. “You’re beautiful, Levi.”

         _You’ve only known me for less than 24 hours,_ Levi thought.

         Erwin felt Levi’s grasp on his shirt tightened. Levi could faintly hear Erwin’s heartbeat – thump, thump, thump – it felt so calming, like a soft, gentle lullaby. He found so much comfort in this strange man, whom he’d just met no more than 24 hours ago… even if Erwin would kick him out on the next stop, he’d at least be grateful that he’d been allowed the pleasure –

         Somewhere, long, long ago, Levi had felt like this before…

~•~

         The place they arrived at was also a big city, although not as big as the place they came from. They went to a Japanese restaurant for a very early dinner (and partly because Levi said he was hungry), where Erwin ordered some sushi and Levi ordered some noodles with tempura because Erwin recommended it. Still, Levi was so adorable when he looked at every single menu item and asked Erwin about them.

         “What is sashimi? Is this green thing some sort of cream?”

         “No, Levi, it’s horseradish.”

         “What’s that?”

         “It’s… spicy. But in a weird way.” Erwin took a small chunk of it and put it on top of the sushi. “You eat it this way.”

         Levi took the sushi with his chopsticks – or at least attempted to, dropping the sushi twice before he could grab it – and when he finally ate it, his face twitched in surprise.

         They then went to a department store, where Erwin bought Levi a coat, some shirts, trousers, and shoes (finding the right size was obviously a challenge). Levi was really silent the whole time – he didn’t protest at all at Erwin’s choice of style, nor asked for anything specific. When asked whether Levi liked what they’d bought, he only gave a nod.

         Their hotel room was pretty small but cosy, and it had a big bed in the middle, a TV, and some couches. Erwin sat down on the couch to rest, and seconds later Levi was curled up on Erwin’s lap, his head buried in Erwin’s chest. He smiled as he ran his hand through Levi’s hair lovingly and placed a kiss on Levi’s forehead.

         “You remind me of a cat,” Erwin said. “Are you always like this?”

         “Do you mind?”  
         Erwin messed Levi’s hair. “Not at all, my dear.”

         “You smell really nice,” Levi answered. “You’re really warm, too. It’s comfortable to sit here.”

         “So am I your chair now?”

         Levi let out a soft chuckle and snuggled even closer. Erwin lifted Levi’s chin, so that Levi was directly looking up into Erwin’s eyes – Levi’s dark grey eyes were solemn, melancholic – as if something was hidden away in them.

         “You’re so lovely,” Erwin whispered as he brushed Levi’s lips with his thumb. Levi got up and gave Erwin a light kiss on the lips, then returned to his position.

         “You’re so kind to me,” Levi said. “If only there’s a way to repay you.”

         “You don’t have to do that, you know,” Erwin said. “I’m glad you want to come with me, but it’s not like I’m forcing you to, alright?”  
         “What do you mean, old man, I asked you to take me along.”

         “Well…” Erwin took Levi’s hand and started playing with his fingers. “That’s true, although I don’t understand why.”

         “I want to stay with you,” Levi said. “For as long as you’ll let me.”

         Levi was really simple, innocent, Erwin thought. He didn’t ask for much, and didn’t question anything, despite Erwin’s questionable motives – Levi didn’t even think about calling the police. Could there be something behind his behaviour? Erwin didn’t know.

         “Why did you choose to go with me, Levi?”  
         “Well, to start with,” Levi sighed, “You didn’t come to my place drunk off your ass. And you’re really nice to me, I guess.”

         “I can’t be the only one, right?”  
         “You’re the nicest guy I’ve ever met, and man am I grateful.”

         “But…”

         “I’m gonna sleep.” Levi got up from Erwin’s lap, and walked to a side of the bed. Erwin covered Levi’s body with the blanket and kissed his forehead.

~•~

         _There was a dark room._

_Erwin found himself sitting on the floor, chained to the wall. There was another man, sitting in the shadows, looking at him._

_“Erwin? Are you alright? Can you hear me?”_

_There was no answer. There was the sound of a chair moving, mixed with the sounds of a clock. Apparently one of the men was strapped to the chair and couldn’t move._

_“Are you sleeping? Erwin? You hear me?”_

_“They’re gonna hear you, Mike.”_

_A sigh of relief could be heard. Erwin slowly opened his eyes and looked around – it was the same dark room he’d been in for… a few days? Weeks?_

_Erwin couldn’t tell anymore. He didn’t even know if he’d ever get out of the room – he could only hear the clock, ticking, like a bomb ready to explode._

_The only thought keeping him sane was that he wasn’t alone._

_“God, I thought you were gonna die or something… they didn’t do anything to you, right?”_

_“Worry about yourself, Mike. You sound like a lion almost bit off your head.”_

_There was a chuckle. “Can’t say that’s not true.”_

Erwin could barely remember anything beyond that.

         _The door flew open, and Erwin remember seeing a man walk in._

_Erwin had probably gotten up trying to fight back, he probably hadn’t –_

_He remembered hearing screams, gunshots,_

_The sound of the clock ticking,_

_The loud clank of the door –_

~•~

         _“Erwin,_ Erwin, what is it?”

         Erwin’s eyes snapped open, and the first thing he saw was Levi, looking down at him. Levi ran his hand through Erwin’s hair, and Erwin then noticed that he was holding Levi’s hand so tightly it turned white.

         “What happened?”

         “You woke up,” Levi answered. “Or maybe not. You just started talking in your sleep.”

         Erwin let go of Levi’s hand and sat up. He looked around him – everything seemed blur – he could make out the outlines of the room and furniture just fine, but it felt like someone smudged the vision in front of him – except for Levi, the world was in a blur.

         “You need meds or something? Are you feeling okay?”

         Erwin got out of bed carefully to get his bag. “It’s… just a nightmare. Nothing serious.”

         Erwin took out a small vial filled with green pills, and put one into his mouth as he walked back to the bed. He drank from a bottle of water; then lay down to sleep. Levi caressed Erwin’s head gently, the sensation soothing for Erwin’s brain. Erwin then noticed the lingering concern in Levi’s eyes, and tried his best to give a reassuring smile.

         “It’s just a dream, Levi. Everyone has nightmares every once in a while.”

         “I’ve never seen anyone say things like ‘don’t kill him, please’ in his sleep, considering who you are.”

         The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. Levi kept caressing Erwin’s head while giving him an inspecting look, but Erwin smiled as he reached out a hand and cupped Levi’s cheek. Levi continued to look at him for a while, probably about to pop a question, but he only sighed as he bent down and gave Erwin a kiss.

         “Can I make you feel better somehow?”

         “I feel better already, thanks to you, Levi.”

         Levi smiled as he lay down on the bed and snuggled close to Erwin. Erwin held Levi tight as he felt Levi’s warm breath on his chest – everything was bright now – there was no darkness, no fear, no loneliness…

 

        

        

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

         “Darius Zackley died in his office yesterday. The cause of death has been identified as sudden heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital, but died on the way.”

         Levi sipped his tea as the woman on the TV continued to talk about the incident. Erwin had just walked out of the bathroom, wearing a blue shirt. Levi turned to look at him for a second, then turned his attention back to the TV. Erwin sat down next to him, turned off the TV, and took the teacup from Levi’s hand.

         “Are we going somewhere today?”

         “Do you want to come along?”

         “Sure. Give me a few minutes in the shower, and let’s go.” Levi gave Erwin a light kiss, and walked off into the bathroom. Erwin opened his bag to take out his files –

         Nick was a priest in one of the biggest churches in that town. He sure seemed to have changed for the better, being a priest and all that, but that wasn’t enough to make Erwin let him go. He had done one thing – just one thing that Erwin couldn’t forgive.

         The church wasn’t too far from the hotel – just a few minutes by car, at most 15 minutes on foot. He wasn’t going to do anything that day aside from come by and greet the old man – the bit about murder can be done later. It’s not difficult.

         Erwin then felt some pressure on his shoulders, and turned to see Levi standing behind him. Levi was wearing a simple black shirt and one of his new trousers, and the first thing Erwin noticed was that the shoulder line of the shirt was way below where it should be.

         “That’s not your shirt, is it?”

         “It’s yours,” Levi answered as he showed his hands, which were hidden in the long sleeves, “It was in the bathroom, so.”

         Erwin only sighed as he stood up and started tidying Levi’s shirt. He started by rolling up the sleeves, then tidying his collar. Levi kept his eyes on Erwin as he tidied Levi’s clothes, as if admiring him.

         “Did you drink your meds?”

         “I did, thank you.” Erwin cupped Levi’s cheeks and smiled. “We’re going to a church, so you should dress properly, okay?”  
         Levi sighed. “God, the last time I went to church, I was like, three.”

~•~

         The church was generally empty that day – there were only a few ladies and some old people sitting on the benches, doing… who knows. One of the priests was talking to an old couple, and the others were busy praying or cleaning the church. There were some statues of saints standing in small niches carved in the walls, and a huge stained glass of Jesus on the cross and Mary behind the altar.

         Erwin felt Levi’s grip on his arm tightened as they entered the chapel. Levi was looking around anxiously, obviously uncomfortable with the solemn setting.

         “You feeling okay, Levi? Do you want to wait outside?”

         “I’ll be fine, I just feel…” Levi gulped. “I can sit on one of these chairs and wait.”

         “Do you need any help?”

         Erwin turned to the voice, and saw a familiar face in front of him. And all of sudden, it came back to him –

         _“You do know what’ll happen if you don’t tell us what we want to know, right?”_

_“If you don’t tell, your friend…”_

_“Erwin, behind you!”_

Erwin bit down on his lip hard.

         _Now’s not the time. Focus, Erwin._

“I’m wondering if you have any candles for me to light? I want to pray for a friend.”

         The priest seemed pleased. “Sure, I’ll find one for you.” The priest walked away, and Erwin once again turned his attention to Levi. He only let go of Erwin, gave him a timid smile, and walked to the door. Perhaps Levi felt that unnerved, Erwin thought.

         Erwin walked to a small table where there were a lot of lit white candles in a glass. Erwin wasn’t exactly the religious type, but every once in a while, he’d come to a random church and light a candle. He’d read that it was a habit in Catholic to light a candle for the deceased… and that was all he could do now.

         A person only dies when he is forgotten.

         Therefore, the light emitted by the candles must be the last bit of his soul.

         “Your candle.”

         Erwin turned and saw the pastor behind him, with a small white candle. Erwin muttered ‘thanks’ as he took the candle, then lit it with the fire from a bigger candle. Now holding the lit candle, Erwin looked up to the stained glass art in front of him –

         Jesus was nailed to the cross, with a spiked crown resting on His bloodied head and blood gushing from His abdomen. Mary was on her knees in front of the cross, praying.

         _If God had died to cleanse this world, then why is there suffering?  
         Isn’t God supposed to save all of mankind, free us of suffering?_

“God,” Erwin whispered. “If You truly exist, please, let him sleep in peace.”

         _That’s the least I can do now._

Erwin put the candle in the empty space on the table. The priest was still standing there, watching Erwin.

         “And, young sir, your name is…?”

         “Erwin Smith.” Erwin turned to look at the old man in the eye, and he noticed the very subtle change of expression in his face. “Nice to meet you, father.”        

         “Nice to meet you too, Mr. Smith,” the priest said. “Is that candle for your parents?”

         “It’s for my friend,” Erwin replied. “He died a few years ago. Such untimely death, really.”

         The priest nodded sympathetically. “God has different plans for everyone.”

         _Like hell._ “Thank you,” Erwin said. “Now I have something to attend to. Excuse me, father.”

         “Please come by for service when you have time.”

         Erwin immediately walked away. It felt sickening to stand in the same room with that man. Trying to put a nice, smiling face – no, that was all fake; that man belonged in hell.

         And Erwin would be the one to send him there.

 

         Erwin walked out of the church to find Levi sitting on a bench, watching some pigeons in front of him, drinking from puddles of water. Erwin sat down next to Levi, effectively scaring off about four birds. Levi seemed to be a lot calmer now, although he still looked a bit pale.

         “Feeling better?” Erwin asked as he ran his hand down Levi’s back. “You want something to eat or drink? Tea, maybe?”

         “Sorry,” Levi sighed. “I caused you trouble, right?”

         “It’s alright, darling,” Erwin said. “I didn’t expect you to hate the church that much, though. Let’s get something to eat, and go home.”

         “It’s not about hating the church, really…” Levi sighed. “Fine. Can we fuck, too?”

         Erwin smiled and ruffled Levi’s hair lovingly. “If you want to, I guess.”

         “So you’re gonna kill that man?” Levi looked up at Erwin with that same innocent smile on his face he showed on the night they met. Erwin wanted to answer the question – he knew for sure that Levi wasn’t going to tell anyone about it, but –

         Levi was like a little doll that knew nothing about the world. That was probably the reason Levi decided to go with him – because he didn’t understand anything, and just thought that Erwin would be a reliable guy.

         Erwin sighed as he kissed Levi on the forehead.

         “You know the answer, don’t you?”

~•~

         Erwin closed the door, and the next thing he knew was that Levi had pulled hi into a kiss. Erwin pushed Levi to the nearest wall, still locked in the kiss, and took off Levi’s trousers – he was getting real hard. Levi then pulled away, forming a string of saliva between their mouths, and kissed Erwin again.  
         “Should I go prepare myself or something?”

         “I don’t want you to,” Erwin replied. “What’s wrong with fucking you the way you are now?”

         “I just thought that maybe you’d like it better if I clean myself first,” Levi said as he brushed Erwin’s bangs to the top of his head, revealing his forehead. Erwin smiled and leaned down to the curve between Levi’s neck and shoulder, and bit at a bruised spot. Levi jumped a bit, surprised, but soon relaxed and let Erwin do what he wanted.

         Erwin continued to bite Levi’s neck and sucked it, just to make sure it’d leave a mark later. After he felt like he’d done enough, he kissed Levi on the lips and pushed him to bed. Erwin crept on top of Levi and unbuttoned his black shirt, exposing his chest. Levi circled his legs around Erwin’s waist and pulled him down.

         “Just so you know, feel free to be real rough with me,” Levi said. “I think I’ve handled some of the worst fuckers, so.”

         “I definitely don’t want to be one of them,” Erwin said with a smile. “I’ll try to be gentle, but if it starts to get too harsh, tell me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

         “But…” Levi looked away, biting his lower lip in anxiety. “I do want you to be rough with me.”

         “And why is that so?”

         “I just don’t like it when people are gentle with me.”

         Erwin cupped Levi’s cheek with his hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it feel really good.”

         Levi remained silent as Erwin bit his neck again. Levi kicked off his trousers and placed his hands on Erwin’s trousers to tug them down, but Erwin then grabbed Levi’s hand with a smirk on his face.

         “I’ll be the one who sets the rules his time, Levi.”

         “Whatever,” Levi replied with a sigh. “As long as I get fucked, I guess.”

         Erwin unzipped his trousers and took out his half-erect dick, and he was certain he heard Levi gulp. Still, Levi got up and unbuttoned Erwin’s shirt, just enough to reveal his nipples; Levi didn’t need any more than that. He got closer to Erwin and covered one of his nipples with his lips, produced a surprised gasp from the blond.

         “You’re sensitive,” Levi noted as he noticed that Erwin’s dick had become harder. Erwin took Levi’s chin, forcing him to look up. Levi tried to kiss Erwin again, but Erwin shook his head and pushed Levi down so he was lying on the bed. Levi instinctively opened his legs and rested them on Erwin’s shoulders, giving him a nice view of Levi’s dick and ass.

         “Why don’t you turn around,” Erwin said, and Levi obediently turned to get on all fours. Erwin lowered his head and dipped his tongue in Levi’s asshole, and he could feel Levi tremble beneath him. Levi was panting hard now – it was the first time someone ate his ass and damn, the feeling was overwhelming. Erwin continued to lick Levi’s gaping asshole, forcing moans out of the smaller man.

         “It feels… good,” Levi moaned. Erwin’s tongue felt warm inside him, gently touching the walls of his ass. Erwin pulled out his tongue and flipped Levi around – he was flustered, his eyes lust-blown and his dick hard. Erwin then took Levi’s dick in his mouth and he could hear Levi let out a muffled scream. Levi couldn’t register the feeling; it felt so warm in a way he’d never felt before that he just wanted to ram his dick down Erwin’s throat.

         Levi came screaming Erwin’s name at the top of his lungs. Erwin managed to swallow a bit of Levi’s cum before he pulled himself away and looked at Levi. Levi’s hand was covering his face, but he was panting hard and sweating a lot. Erwin put down both of Levi’s legs on the bed, then gave him a kiss. Levi tried his best to savour what he could – Erwin’s mouth tasted to sickeningly familiar, but it was Erwin; it wasn’t too bad.

         “I’ll fuck you now,” Erwin said, and Levi could feel Erwin’s cock touch his ass. “I want to see your face when you come, is that alright with you?”

         “No, don’t, I…” Levi looked away. “It’s unsightly.”

         Erwin took Levi’s hands in his own, and smiled. “I still want to see it.”

         Levi then felt Erwin’s dick slid into him. Erwin’s dick was slightly too big in every push, as if it was forcing its way into Levi’s ass, but Levi liked that sensation, liked how it was pushing him over the edge – he could feel his ass clenching around Erwin’s dick. Still, he was aware that Erwin was above him, watching closely.

         “Don’t keep all those noises to yourself, Levi,” Erwin said when he noticed that Levi was biting his lower lip again. Levi seemed to be so tense – he tried to move his hand to cover his face, only to be reminded that Erwin was holding them. Erwin pushed harder and Levi felt like he was about to break – he was so close, Erwin’s dick was grinding against his prostate and it felt just indescribable…

         “Erwin, deeper, ah, deeper,” Levi moaned. “Fuck me, please, harder…”

         “You’re perfect, Levi,” Erwin muttered. He couldn’t ask for more, now that Levi was a broken, wet mess, moaning and whimpering under him, begging; his half-lidded eyes was looking at Erwin, and he was begging for more, more, Erwin, more…

         Levi screamed as he felt Erwin’s cum filled his ass, and he let himself come. He felt like he’d broken into a million pieces but Erwin was still there, holding him down, together.

         Levi sighed as he felt the pressure on his hands decreased, and he finally got up. He rested his head on Erwin’s chest, and noticed the pool of cum on Erwin’s abdomen – he took a bit of it with his fingers and licked it. Erwin lovingly pet his head and gave him soft kisses as Levi listened to the faint thump of Erwin’s heartbeat. Everything felt so warm, comfortable.

         _Never again,_ Levi thought to himself as he felt his mind slowly shutting down. _Never again…_

         “This is fine,” Levi muttered. “If only we can stay like this forever…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you see any errors like anywhere, please tell me so I can get it fixed.   
> The lighting candle for the dead tradition may not be accurate because I'm not Catholic and a lot of what is described comes from watching my parents do it (not in a Catholic way) so correct me if I'm wrong in any of that.


	5. Chapter 5

         Erwin walked into the chapel and sat down on one of the benches in the far back. Nobody else was there, except for a priest who was praying at the altar. Well, it was very early in the morning, after all. Erwin remained quiet, as if he was trying to stay undercover.

         Even now, it felt so strange – as if the sight in front of him comes from a dream.

         The man who supposedly had killed him years ago was on his knees in front of an altar, praying.

         And he, who should’ve died, was sitting just a few metres behind the man, ready to kill him.

         The priest finished his prayer and stood up. When he turned around, he immediately noticed Erwin’s presence, and smiled.

         “Hello again, Erwin.”

         “Don't act like you don’t know me,” Erwin hissed. “Zackley and Lobov were too dumb to notice, but you’re at least more intelligent than they are, aren’t you?”

         “I didn’t recognize you until you introduced yourself, actually,” the priest said calmly. “Your face had changed a bit, and you are – or should I say were – using a different name. But overall, you seem to be in pretty good shape.”

         “I could be in better shape if your friend didn’t shoot me in the head.”

         The priest fell silent. Erwin felt his head start throbbing, but it wasn’t too bad. He stood up and walked into a confessional, and Nick followed him soon after.

         “You know what I’m here for, aren’t you?”  
         “I do,” Nick replied. “I’m not very surprised when the news came up that they were dying, one after another.”

         “And you know why.”  
         “It must’ve been tough.”

         “I think I was out cold for a few months. When I woke up, my best friend’s dead, the war was over, and I was alone.”

         Erwin sighed and turned to look at Nick. There was only a wooden divider between them, and Erwin could see Nick through the slits.

         “You’re probably wondering why I’m angry at you when you didn’t shoot me,” Erwin said. “But you were there, all the time. You were watching, but you did nothing. You could’ve saved someone, but you didn’t. And now you call yourself a priest.”

         “I couldn’t do anything,” Nick said. “I tried asking Lobov to not do anything to you guys, since you guys kept claiming you don’t know anything. I told Lobov it might be true, but he didn’t listen to me.”

         “I hope it’s fucking obvious that I don’t care.”

 

         _“You’re going to be fine.”_

_Erwin opened his eyes, and his eyes immediately hurt from the blindingly bright light. It took a few minutes for Erwin’s eyes to adjust, and he could make out a few objects in the room – there was a table and some chairs, a cabinet, a clock, and three uniformed men. The room was surprisingly clean and it was painted white, unlike all the other rooms he’d been in that was just made of stone. Erwin could see two doors, and he suspected that there was another door, the one he’d come in through._

_“Listen, and you’ll be fine.” Erwin could feel someone meddling with his tied hands, and seconds later his hands were free to move around._

_One of the uniformed men walked towards Erwin, holding a clean white shirt and trousers, underwear, and a towel._

_“The bathroom is on your left,” the same voice said. “Take a shower, get changed – make yourself look proper.”_

_Erwin had a bunch of questions in his head at this point, but remained silent. He took the clothes given to him and went into the bathroom like he was told to. It’d been forever since he’d taken a proper bath – hell, he hadn’t even seen a toilet since he got to this place. He’d probably gotten used to all kinds of awful smell coming out of his body._

_He felt like he’d scraped a layer of dirt off his skin by the time he got out of the shower – which, according to the clock in the bathroom, took him about 20 minutes. He put on the clothes he’d been given, and for a second, he felt like he’d switched skins. The whole deal was still confusing to him, but at least things were looking pretty good for now._

_“My, look at you,” one of the man remarked when he got out. Erwin noticed that one of the men had left, but nothing else seemed to have changed. The man gave him a mug of coffee, but Erwin didn’t drink any of it – he simply held it in his hands._

_“You’re getting out of here,” the man said as he started fixing Erwin’s collar. “There’s a car waiting for you outside. The driver will take you downtown in front of the library, and you’re good to go.”_

_The man patted Erwin’s back with a smile on his face, but Erwin remained silent. It all seemed too good to be true – he felt like he was still tortured a while ago, and now, all of sudden, he was a free men. Did something happen, or was it what people call a miracle?_

_“Where’s Mike?” Erwin hadn’t seen Mike for a good while now – as if he just… disappeared._

_“He’ll be waiting for you in the library.”_

_Erwin then felt the coldness of metal behind his head –_

         “Reiss shot you.”

         Erwin held his head, which seemed to hurt more with each throb, and took out his gun.

         “So where was Mike?”

         “He was killed,” the priest replied. “Two-three days before you – I don’t know the details. I wasn’t there when it happened.”

         The priest stood up, as if going to walk away from the confessional, and noticed that Erwin had a gun in his hand, aimed directly at him from the other side.

         “I understand if you’re angry,” the priest said. “You have the right to kill me. I’m sorry for what happened; I know you won’t forgive me, but…”

         “If you have nothing meaningful to say, just shut up and pray or something so I can kill you.”

         “I have something for you.” The priest took out a small notebook from his pocket and passed it to Erwin through the slits in the divider. “I believe this belongs to either you or your friend.”

         Erwin pulled the trigger.

         He could hear the soft thud as Nick’s body fell on the floor. Erwin put the gun back into his holster, before taking the book lying on the table and putting it into his coat pocket.

~•~

         Levi turned around when he heard the door click. Erwin walked into the room, his hand still holding his forehead. Levi stood up and walked to Erwin, holding a medicine bottle in his hand.

         “You forgot your meds again?”

         “I didn’t,” Erwin replied with a sigh. “It just started hurting again.”

         Erwin sat down on the bed, and Levi quickly handed him a cup of water, but Erwin shook his head. Levi then noticed that Erwin was holding a small, old notebook in his hand.

         “Where did you go to?”

         “The church,” Erwin replied. “Let’s pack up. We’re getting out of here.”

         “Not with your current condition,” Levi said. “You need to rest. Can you drink your medicine again? What book is that?”

         “It’s nothing important.”

         Levi then noticed the tears welling up in Erwin’s eyes. Levi quickly wiped them with his fingers, only to have more tears rolling down Erwin’s face.

         “Erwin, Erwin, what is it?”

         “I don’t know,” Erwin replied, his voice cracked. “I… I’m…”

         Levi kissed Erwin’s forehead, trying to calm him down. Erwin was sobbing softly now, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably. He held Levi tight in his arms and buried his face in Levi’s chest, and Levi calmly ran his hands through Erwin’s hair.

         “Please don’t leave me alone,” Erwin sobbed. “Please…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (chicken why is mike dead we thought you love him)  
> *lights ten thousand candles* say that again i fucking dare you (mike needs to die for a plot purpose and i apologize)


End file.
